Hermione tossed and turned in her bed at the Burrow, the sheets tangling around her legs and making her feel suffocated. It was the middle of the night, and she couldn't sleep. Again. She'd been teetering on the verge of becoming an insomniac since the war, dreams and anxiety making it impossible for her to sleep some nights. Tonight was one of those nights.

Hermione got up from her bed, taking the book she was reading with her. She'd put the kettle on and try to drink some of the tea Mrs. Weasley had gotten especially for her late nights, and read while she waited.

But when she descended into the Weasley's kitchen, Hermione saw that a couple candles were lit and someone was already occupying the kitchen.

"Cheers." She said, addressing none other than Percy Weasley, who looked up from the book he was reading, clearly startled. "Apologies if I startled you."

She bustled past Percy and retrieved the kettle to refill. As water poured from the sink, Percy cleared his throat and began to polish his glasses on the hem of his robe.

"Can't sleep?" He asked, his voice a little hoarse from the late hour. And shouting himself blue in the face at the gnomes in the garden earlier that day probably hadn't helped. They'd all collectively agreed he needed to work something out of his system and let him at it. He'd trooped back in several hours later, voice going hoarse but the garden spotless of gnomes.

"Never can, it seems." Hermione sighed, rapping the kettle with her wand. Percy made a noise of assent, which surprised her. She hadn't noticed his light on in the small hours before. The kettle started to heat up, and she selected a mug from the clean ones on the sideboard. Without asking, she selected a mug for Percy too, assuming he would take tea if it was put in front of him.

"What're you reading?" Hermione asked, glancing over her shoulder at the tome Percy had laid out in front of him on the kitchen table. Percy cleared his throat, the tips of his ears turning red.

"Um, just some light reading. Fiction, if you will." Percy said. Hermione came to peer over his shoulder, even as he tried to hide the page's heading from her gaze.

"Magical fairytales for inquisitive young wizards?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"The history of magical legislature, part four wasn't doing the usual trick." Percy cleared his throat yet again, a nervous habit of his.

"I won't judge you." Hermione said. "I'm reading Muggle literature, after all."

"You are?" Percy asked. "May I ask what author? I know a fair bit about England's Muggle classics."

"Currently re-reading Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley." Hermione told him.

"Are you really? You know, some speculate that Mary Shelley was actually a witch who elected to be homeschooled. The book is rumored to be based on her illicit romance with a half-giant while on holiday in Switzerland."

"Oh please." Hermione snorted. "It's far more likely she was a muggle who encountered some wizard's illegal experiment gone rogue, and the ministry couldn't track her down to modify her memory. So, she capitalized on it."

Percy laughed in spite of himself, and Hermione was taken aback. It had been a long time since anyone had seen Percy engage in any sort of merriment.

"What?" Percy asked, noticing her staring.

"It's nothing, I- It's just nice to hear you laugh, is all." Hermione said. Percy pushed his glasses up his nose, his ears reddening again.

"If I may, I'll read you this passage from the tale of Wizard Baruffio." Percy said, paging through his book. "You might find that humorous."

"Wizard Baruffio, isn't he the one who-"

"Ended up with a buffalo on his chest, yes. Professor Flitwick is fond of that little rhyme." Percy said, smiling.

Hermione listened as Percy read her a passage from Baruffio's misadventures, and in spite of herself she laughed heartily when the poor buffoon found himself swapping clothes with a wildebeest instead of transporting it to its paddock. Percy was laughing too, and the kitchen grew a little warmer as they indulged in merriment.

The kettle whistled, and Hermione busied herself adding milk and honey to both steaming cups. She plonked a mug down in front of Percy, who look surprised.

"For me? Thank you." He said quietly, sipping at the hot liquid. He winced as it burned his tongue, and waved his hand over the mug to cool it slightly. After a moment's deliberation, he performed the same wandless charm on Hermione's mug so she could drink safely.

"That's handy." Hermione said, staring at her cup, which was now full of tea the perfect temperature for drinking.

"Invented it, it's a variation on a cooling charm that doesn't induce ice." Percy said. Hermione blinked at him.

"That's brilliant. How'd you manage it?" She asked.

"Oh, well, erm... Just experimented with the latin root until it gave the strength I desired." Percy said, unusually modestly. His whole neck was red from embarrassment.

"Fascinating." Hermione said. "Could you teach me?"

"I suppose." Percy waved his hand over his mug again, and the liquid returned to near-boiling.

"Parumglacia." Percy intoned, making the same smooth hand motion as before.

"Focillio." Hermione said to her own mug, heating the tea. She then mimicked Percy's spell, a grin breaking out on ehr face as it worked perfectly. She took asip of her tea to test, and sighed.

"Brilliant." Percy said softly.

"It really is, you're a brilliant wizard." Hermione said honestly. "I think if you wanted to go into spell development or teaching someday, you'd be very gifted.

Percy coughed into his mug, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Come now, Hermione. I'm not all that. I'm built for the bureaucracy of the Ministry."

"Suit yourself." Hermione said. She pulled Frankenstein out of her robe pocket and laid it out on the table. Percy watched her for a moment, then returned to his own reading.

They stayed like that, quietly reading in the kitchen, until Hermione let out a jaw-cracking yawn.

"I think the valerian infusion must be working." She commented. Percy stretched in his chair and let out his own yawn.

"I think I'm for bed as well, fantastic tea." He muttered. "May I walk you up?"

Hermione gave him a smile and a nod, then busied herself clearing away the tea things. Percy extinguished the candles, and they made their way up the stairs in the dark.

Even though she knew about the faulty board on the second floor landing, Hermione must have miscounted her steps, because as soon as her foot connected with the step, she sank knee-deep into the stair.

"I got you." Percy said, steadying Hermione with a hand at the small of her back as she wobbled, off-balance.

Percy stepped up on the next stair, then brought Hermione's hands up to his biceps.

"Lean on me, now." He leaned backwards, using their combined weight as a fulcrum. Hermione's entrapped leg popped free, and she fell into Percy's arms as he sat down on the step.

"All right there?" Percy asked, patting her back gently.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Hermione said, looking up at him. She could just barely see the outline of his glasses and his red curls in the faint moonlight.

"Let's get you to bed." Percy said gently, tugging them both to their feet. To Hermione's surprise, he took her hand in his, his long fingers surprisingly warm. They passed the landing where Percy's room was, and continued up the staircase until they reached Bill's old room, which Hermione was staying in temporarily, more to get away from Ginny and Harry snogging than anything else.

"Thank you, again." Hermione said to Percy, realizing she was reluctant to let his hand drop.

"Anytime." Percy said.

"D'you..." Hermione started. "Want to come in?"

"Better not." Percy replied, taking a step back and dropping her hand. "Better get some rest."

Then he was making his way back down the stairs. Hermione heard his door on the second floor landing click shut after him. She sighed and entered her own room, realizing that her stomach was flipping around in a most peculiar manner. Could it be that she was starting to feel a connection... with Percy?